Moments in an Evolution
by the road to damascus
Summary: Troy has no 'Bet On It' epiphany and Sharpay’s summer continues to go exactly as planned.  More like a series of Troypay drabbles than something resembling a plot.
1. Mean the Same Thing

Title: Moments in an Evolution

Summary: Troy has no "Bet On It" epiphany and Sharpay's summer continues to go exactly as planned. More like a series of Troypay drabbles than something resembling a plot.

No ownership of HSM(2), blah, blah, etc, etc.

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It was their third rehearsal for the talent show, and while Troy thought they sounded decent to good, Sharpay had found something seemingly monumentally wrong with every run–through. After the sixth take, Troy's throat was scratching unbearably and he was covered in pink glitter, a look he was pretty sure wasn't great for him. Sharpay was running around, yelling at the Sharpettes, the band, Kelsi, the lighting guy, everyone. He walked across the stage and grabbed her upper arm.

"Umm…Sharpay?" Troy began hesitantly. "Could we, uh, maybe try the song the way it was written?"

"No," replied Sharpay with irritation as she shakes his hand off her.

"Why not? It's really too high for me. I may not be an actual singer but you have to have heard that I'm seriously straining to reach every note in this song."

"No. That was _Gabriella's_ song," she says disdainfully, "and nothing I'm doing will ever be like _her_. My production, my way."

"But…" Troy trails off.

"But what Bolton?" Regardless of how nice she's been to him recently, Troy can't help but notice that in rehearsal her inner drama dictator never fails to shine through. He can sense her growing irritation with his amateurism, and quickly rushes out his next thought.

"I just don't think it means the same thing when it's all fast and rockstarish like this."

Sharpay is taken aback and looks quite surprised for a few seconds. "Do you want it to mean the same thing?" she asks quietly.

"Maybe I do."

"With me?"

"Yes."

"Then we'll do it that way." And Sharpay smiles for the first time all rehearsal.

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So, this is my first foray into HSM fiction. Honestly, I'm surprised that there isn't more fic set during HSM2, so I'm going to dive into that. Expect more little scenes like this, and over time, it may evolve into a plot.

Leave a review!

margaret


	2. Reminisce

Title: Moments in an Evolution

Summary: Troy has no "Bet On It" epiphany and Sharpay's summer continues to go exactly as planned.

AN: Hey all. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Just an FYI, these little scenelets aren't happening in chronological order, they are just being posted as I think of them.

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"Reminisce"

A group of Lava Springs waiters are huddled by pool's entrance one late afternoon. Troy Bolton is walking past the pool and toward the driving range when he heard the murmurs of the group.

"Ask him!"

"No, you ask him!"

Troy stops at the gate. "Something you wanna say to me?" he asks with a hint of anger. Ever since the talent show, the glares from his ex-best friends have increased quite a bit.

"No, no, continue on your way to your really important business, captain." Chad says sarcastically. Troy turns to leave. "Wait—"

"What now?"

"Are you really like, _dating_ Sharpay? Those are the latest rumors."

"What's it to you?"

"I'm just saying, if you're going to be a tool and date a girl just so her father can get you into college, that's your own prerogative," Chad says snidely. Troy rises to Sharpay's defense quickly.

"It's not even like that! Thanks to you, I really only had Sharpay to hang out with at work, and dude, she's kind of like, nice, sometimes, when it's just us."

"The mountain lion? Nice?" Chad asks incredulously.

"Occasionally. Ok, well, really not that often. But…" Troy trails off.

"But what?"

"A potential college scholarship isn't the only benefit I'm getting, if you know what I mean…"

Chad excitedly hits him in the arm. "Dude, no way! What's it like?!"

"Oh god, she is so flexible. The other day, up in her room, her legs were like, behind her head and I could hit her so deep, and the shit she can do with her tongue, oh my god." Troy's eyes become clouded with lust as he recalls some of their recent scandalous activities.

"And to think Gabriella would barely let you kiss her, much less cop a feel."

"I know. All I'm saying is that it's way better now than in 9th grade."

"Wait, what?" Chad is very confused all of a sudden, as it sound like Troy just said—

"The first time we had sex. Obviously, 15 year olds have no clue what they're doing. I mean I still don't, really, but Sharpay—"

"HOLD THE PHONE! You lost it to Sharpay, FRESHMAN YEAR?! How—what—how did I not know about this?!"

"Uh, cause you hated her cause she was such a bitch to you? We dated for like, five minutes, and we did it once, and then she freaked, dumped me, morphed into the Ice Queen and decided she needed to focus more on theater."

"No, seriously, where was I for this whole time?"

"It was two weeks, right after we got put on varsity in the middle of the season, and your eyeballs were basically glued to the varsity cheerleaders' asses."

"Oh yeah! Monique Springfield…she was so hot…" Neither of the boys has really noticed that they have slipped back into their easy friendship. The conversation flows, and Troy suddenly starts to feel a relief and calm he has not felt in weeks, not since their initial argument.

"Look, Chad. I know I was a jackass at the beginning of the summer. Getting into college is really important, you know that, and it doesn't excuse my behavior, but I just wanted to say I'm sor—"

"TROO-OOY!" Sharpay's screech echoes across the pool area. "You need to get ready for dinner with Daddy and the Board!"

"I gotta go. Can't keep her waiting, and all that." Troy discreetly rolls his eyes.

"Wait." Chad grabs his arm. "Do you really like her?"

"Yeah, I really do," Troy replies.

"Then that's all I need. Something genuine. Brothers?"

"Brothers."


	3. Hot Pink Bikini

Title: Moments in an Evolution

Summary: Troy has no "Bet On It" epiphany and Sharpay's summer continues to go exactly as planned.

AN: Gosh, chickadees, everyone in HSM fic is just so precious. Of course, I may find this to be so because I am probably a decade older than all of you, but oh well. I also have a kid. All of which means high school was a really long time ago for me. Again, keep in mind that these are not happening in any sort of chronological order, i.e., this one happens before the previous one, probably before the first one.

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**3. Hot Pink Bikini**

"Trooo-ooy!" Sharpay yelled to get Troy's attention across the driving range. She walked over to where he was showing a little boy the proper grip on a club. "What is your schedule today?"

It was three days after his fight with Chad and subsequent breakup with Gabriella, and Troy found himself wondering what he should do with his breaks now that he couldn't hang out in the kitchens. Being an assistant golf pro kept him pretty busy, but there were times when he just found himself with nothing to do.

"I have privates until 11:30, gotta put together the Parent-Child three-holers tournament, work in the pro shop—"

"Yeah yeah I wasn't asking for your life story. What I really meant was, when do you have time to hang out with _me_?"

"Umm, Sharpay, I don't know if—"

"Breaks, Bolton? I was thinking we could do a little laying out in the good afternoon sun…wouldn't want the star performers at the Midsummer's Night Talent Show looking pasty on stage, now would we. Plus, I got this really hot new pink bikini and of course, I think it's fabulous but I would love your opinion on it."

Troy swallowed visibly. Try as he might, he could not help noticing that Sharpay had gotten much better looking over the years. Yes, she was the hottie blonde freshman that all the seniors on the basketball team had wanted to get with, but now, well, _everyone_ noticed her, including Troy. Maybe having Sharpay as his only friend option right now wouldn't be so bad…

"Troy?" Sharpay's voice snapped him out of his daze.

"Well, if I put together the pairs right after lunch, I don't have to be in the pro shop until 2:30, so, I could be there by one, I guess."

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Time seemed to stretch interminably to Troy, and it felt like at least a decade passed before 1:00 PM arrived. He threw on his swim trunks, and rushed out to the pool, but stopped at the gate to compose himself. _Stop freaking out_, he told himself. _You didn't even like Sharpay until the prospect of her in a string bikini was presented to you._

"Hey Troy! Over here!" He turned towards the sound of her voice, and was impressed, though not surprised, to see two chaise lounges with towels, the tables around them laden with sunscreen, tropical drinks, magazine, anything that could possibly be needed for an afternoon by the pool. Sharpay stood up and gave him a little twirl, showing off the hot pink new bikini he was promised.

"What do you think?"

"I…uh…you look—"

"I know! Isn't it great? Now come sit down. I have instructed the lifeguards to inform us when the angle of the sun changes 15 degrees, so we'll know when to rotate our chaises."

Confused by the scientific nature of her sunbathing routine, Troy simply shrugged and flopped down on the unoccupied chair. He closed his eyes…little kids were so exhausting…

"Hey Troy?" He was startled awake by Sharpay's hand on his shoulder.

"What?"

"Time to rotate. And you should probably lie on your back now, so you aren't uneven." He complied, and picked up a magazine, thumbing through it.

"Do you actually want to go to the University of Albuquerque?" The sudden question threw Troy a little off-balance, and he took a second to think about answering.

"It's free college, and playing for a Division I basketball team? Dude, they went to the NCAAs last year…as a 16th seed, and got knocked out by UNC in the first round, but still."

"But do you want to _go_ there? Like, do they have a good program for what you want to major in? That kind of thing?"

"Uh, Sharpay, if you haven't noticed, I'm going to school to play basketball, not to become the next great astrophysicist."

"You shouldn't sell yourself short like that. You're probably a really smart guy, Troy."

The conversation lapsed into silence at that point. They lay there, lost in their own thoughts for awhile. Troy felt his chest and the tip of his nose start to burn and got up to go back inside, ready to work at the pro shop.

"Hey Sharpay?"

"Yeah?"

"This was nice."

"What was?"

"Us being friends. We should do it more often."

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Tell me what you think! I stay at home with a baby all day; I live for your reviews! Though I am going back to school next semester, which is exciting. I also have half the next one written, so expect to see that one in a couple of days.

margaret


	4. Sea Breeze

Title: Moments in an Evolution

Summary: Troy has no 'Bet On It' epiphany and Sharpay's summer continues to go exactly as planned. More like a series of Troypay drabbles than something resembling a plot.

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**4. Sea Breeze**

"Sharpay! What are you doing?" Troy hisses as Sharpay sidles up to the bar. Lava Springs was hosting a regional qualifying tournament for the US Amateurs, and the Evans were not satisfied with simply holding the tournament at their country club; no, it had to be _the_ social event of the season. The outside patio had once again been transformed. Troy, having not made the Saturday cut, was roped into coming to the Friday night cocktail party on Sharpay's arm—"Remember we're trying this whole friends thing?" she had said to him.

"Ordering us drinks," she says matter-of-factly. "What do you want? It should probably be something mixed with soda so that no one sus—"

"Alcoholic drinks?! You drink?!"

"Just a little, you know, _social lubricant_. Now what do you want?"

"I don't—I mean I've never, uh—"

"Okay, I'll order for you then." She turns to the bartender. "We'll have a sea breeze and a jack and coke, the sea breeze with extra limes."

"Of course, Ms. Evans," he says with a wink. They scamper off, to the edge of the patio by some trees. Sharpay takes a furtive glance around the room, and then quickly chugs almost half her drink. Troy swallows his first sip, the bourbon burning the back of his throat but instantly warming his stomach. He turns back to Sharpay, but she is gone, making her way back to the bar. By the time he catches up with her she is holding her second fruity pink drink.

"Thank god," she exhales. "Now I can finally _deal_ with these people. Gotta be a little bit tipsy so I don't end up wanting to kill myself."

Troy looks a little bit panicked, and Sharpay lays her hand on his arm. "Calm down, I do this all the time," she says with a roll of her eyes.

"You know, this explains so much about you."

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The minutes fly by Troy in a hazy swirl of bright summer party dresses and festive music. He's talked to a few people when they've been cornered by friends of her parents, though Sharpay has done most of the talking, and mostly he's just standing at her side, sipping his drinks, and thinking. Thinking of how _jade_ her dress looks and the way it floats around her legs, just brushing her knees. Of her spun gold hair and how he wants to reach out and touch it, to slide his hand up into her hair right behind her ear while his thumb glides over the delicate skin of her cheek. Maybe it's the alcohol talking, but he realizes Sharpay looks more beautiful to him at that instant than any other girl ever has. And then he realizes he's been staring.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just—" Emboldened, Troy reaches out with both hands to grab her hips, pulling her close to his body. Her hands are braced against his chest, and he puts his mouth right next to her ear.

"Dance with me."

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They join the older couples swaying to a small jazz ensemble; earning admiring looks from the guests and glares from the staff. Now that he has her in his arms, Troy is not quite sure what to do. He knows Sharpay is a good dancer and that she'll want to make a show of it, but he is not gifted in that particular arena as _Twinkle Towne_ eventually proved. Luckily the song is sort of slow, so he can just stand there, move around a little, but nothing too taxing.

"Have dinner with me next week?" Troy asks with the hushed tone he's been using with her recently.

"You already eat with my family like three nights a week," laughs Sharpay.

"No, with just me…on a date."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

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AN: All of these are coming out in Troy's POV. I'm a little unclear on why that happens, most likely because getting inside Sharpay's head seems like a daunting task. And my writing style is just so freaking inconsistent—short choppy sarcastic humour mixed in with such…flowery fluffy prose…as a self-proclaimed angst lover (I just love bad people doing bad things to each other), I must say I'm appalled at myself.

Anyway, peep my new story _Elsewhere_. It's Troypay (duh)…but way in the future. To be honest, it has almost nothing to do with HSM except the characters' names are Troy and Sharpay, but I've been wanting to write this for a while and T/S seem as good a couple as any of my ships. It does deal with more mature themes, such as child and substance abuse, but I'm really proud of it and I hope everyone will check it out.

Leave a review!

margaret


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